Color me not surprised that a Virginia school is in the national news again for downright racist practices in an attempt to make our children all equally mediocre at best and below average at worst.
That’s right, dear reader; not only is a Virginia school under investigation for purposely holding certain students back, but it also happens to be the top-rated High School in the nation.
But I am surprised about something. As so rarely happens lately, there are Republicans who are actually fighting back.
A few days ago, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin requested his Attorney General Jason Miyares look into allegations that Thomas Jefferson High School withheld merit awards based on race. Yet another example of why my family, along with thousands of others in this country, have opted to homeschool their kids.
So what exactly has been happening with the country’s most prestigious high school? What you will discover will not just alarm and enrage you but make you sick to your stomach if you are a parent.
Virginia is at the forefront of protecting parental rights and making sure Virginia’s students are valued for their hard work and achievements, particularly in our Governor’s Schools like Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. pic.twitter.com/TNZGEux2Im
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) January 4, 2023
RELATED: DeSantis is On Fire: Now He’s Taking On the Teachers Unions
A Unique Situation
Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that his office would investigate the high school in two parts: its admissions policies and its decision to withhold merit award notification. First, let’s dive into this merit award nonsense.
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Last month news broke that the school delayed notification to students that had earned the prestigious title of “commended student.” This status is awarded to only those students that score in the top 3% of the nation on a standardized test often used by prestigious colleges to allow for early admission.
Today I’m announcing two Civil Rights investigations into Thomas Jefferson HS – into their admission policy and withholding of merit awards.
Discrimination in school based on race is a violation of our Human Rights Act, and we will look into possible violations immediately. pic.twitter.com/FSmgrqii8U
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) January 4, 2023
While the letters were dated September, they were distributed to students in November, which is too late for early decision college applications. Then, to add insult to injury, the awards were “unceremoniously” dropped on students’ desks.
A spokesperson for the school claims that this was a:
“…unique situation due to human error.”
Still, others are raising the BS flag, saying that this is yet another sign of the American education system waging a “war on merit” in an attempt to push the fallacy of equity.
The administrators of this school think, or at least hope, we are all as dumb as they are trying to force the next generation to be.
UPDATE: Attorney General @JasonMiyaresVA is requesting his Office of Civil Rights start TWO investigations into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
1️⃣ National Merit Recognition Allegations.
2️⃣ Potential Discriminatory Admissions Policy. pic.twitter.com/249QhriHnW
— Sierra Fox (@thesierrafox) January 5, 2023
Hurt Feelings
While the school is trying to sell the idea that this was just some misstep by some wayward employee not paying attention to their duties, the reality appears much different.
For example, one parent was told by the Director of Student Services, Brandon Kosatka, that the reason the merit awards were delivered so late and in such a nonchalant manner was that:
“We want to recognize students for who they are as individuals, not focus on their achievements.”
Awe, now, doesn’t that sounds nice? Except the real world will care about achievements.
It’s all fine and dandy to celebrate who you are as a person. Still, suppose you want to do big things and want a country with leaders who innovate in science, technology, medicine, and other industries.
In that case, you must also give a damn about achievement. But the school argues that they didn’t want to “hurt” the feelings of those who didn’t get the award.
So we went from my generation, where everyone got a trophy, to nobody getting trophies.
What reality do these administrators live in where preparing the next generation means sheltering them from the shared human experience of occasional failure?
As a former educator, I’m appalled that the goal in Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology is to limit our children that are excelling.
We should never limit students.
We’re seeing this in schools across our Commonwealth. 2/3
— Tina Ramirez (@TinaRamirezVA) January 1, 2023
Racism As A Tool For ‘Equity’
The principal of Thomas Jefferson High School, Ann Bonitatibus, emailed students and parents after the murder of George Floyd and asked them to:
“…consider the privileges you hold that others may not.”
Besides the fact that this is hardly appropriate communication for a school principal to students and parents, this was a tee-up for the subsequent overhauling of what was once a rigorous admissions process.
For example, that same year, the school removed the requirement for standardized testing and set aside seats specifically for black and Hispanic students.
This has been the nature of an ongoing federal lawsuit that claims these new policies discriminate against Asian American students, who historically have made up the majority of the student populace.
Last February, a federal judge acknowledged that the school had altered its admissions to purposely restrict Asian Americans for what they claimed was “racial diversity.”
BREAKING REPORT: Principal from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, Ann Bonitatibus – WITHHOLDS PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL MERIT AWARDS from top students to boost ‘equity’ and ‘protect feelings’ of kids who didn’t win one.
SHOULD SHE BE FIRED?
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 31, 2022
This school’s strategy of “equitable outcomes for every student, without exception” is fundamentally flawed, as Mr. Miyares pointed out on the “Ingraham Angle”:
“Equity without excellence is emptiness.”
What a brilliant statement with an added touch of alliteration, too bad many students don’t know what alliteration means, let alone the sweet taste of excellence.
Cruel Race To The Bottom
Mr. Miyares and the parents raising the alarms in Virginia are rightly concerned about this push to make all our children have the same outcomes as others and to guard against their delicate sensibilities by burying the accomplishments of others. This so-called best school in the nation no longer gives zeros as grades; students automatically get 50% for just showing up to class, and apparently, working hard and exceeding expectations is frowned upon based on this recent merit award debacle.
Allegedly this merit award withhold practice has been going on for years, affecting the lives of at least 1,200 young Americans, most of which are Asian Americans.
AG Miyares said:
“No student should be treated differently because of their race. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are amongst the brightest in the nation, yet some have been punished in the name of ‘equity.’”
What a world we live in where in the United States, it’s considered acceptable, let alone sanctioned by state officials, to discriminate against Americans based on the color of their skin.
The AG goes on:
“Every American, every Virginian, should be outraged that a child in Virginia today has been denied their dreams because of their racial background.”
“New year, same hell.”
— the indomitable @WinsomeSears pic.twitter.com/A3kOAHDuPV— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) January 3, 2023
Congratulations, Virginia and Big Education, you’ve managed to destroy a generation through your terrible COVID policies, your dumbing down of education in the name of equity by removing advanced courses and standardized testing, and brought us back in time to when Americans were denied opportunities based on the color of their skin.
As for me and mine, we’ll continue to homeschool and ensure our children know the value of hard work, excellence, the necessity of failure, and the true meaning of being an American.
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